How Many Words Are in a Book?
(Book Word Counts)
by Amy Bryant
Have you ever wondered how many words are in your favourite books? And how much do you have to write before your story can be considered a novel?
Firstly, here’s a loose breakdown of different fiction sizes:
Flash Fiction – under 1,000 words
Short Story – 1,000 – 10,000
Novella – 10,000 – 40,000
Novel – 40,000+, although usually 50,000+
Generally, 50,000 words is considered minimal novel length, and an average novel would be between 80,000 and 100,000 words. Fantasy books tend to be longer because they need more world-building descriptions, and of course, children’s books tend to be shorter.
Let’s look at some word count sizes in action!
Word Counts of Famous Books:
(These numbers are approx, rounded to the nearest thousand)
The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1) by Lemony Snicket – 24,000
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl – 31,000
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – 36,000
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – 52,000
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall – 54,000
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer – 56,000
The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice Book 1) by John Flanagan – 68,000
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson – 72,000
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith – 75,000
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – 77,000
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (Wingfeather Saga Book 1) by Andrew Peterson – 79,000
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – 80,000
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan – 87,000
Cinder by Marissa Meyer – 88,000
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – 95,000
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger – 98,000
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – 100,000
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – 100,000
Divergent by Veronica Roth- 105,000
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – 118,000
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – 119,000
Eragon by Christopher Paolini – 157,000
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien – 177,000
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling – 257,000 (!)
As you can see, that’s a lot of variation!
There are recommended word counts depending on if a book is written for children, young adults, or adults, but they’re all just general guidelines. (The bigger the book, the more expensive it is for a publisher to produce it!)
I’ve usually needed to cut words during editing, as the initial drafts of my first two books were far too big. But with my third book, The Lion and the Mage, the first draft was smaller and more sparse to begin with, and I ended up adding some scenes and description later on. (It’s currently 89,000 words.)
Shorter books can feel less daunting to read and hold someone’s attention better, so don’t force your story to be longer if it’s not needed. But don’t worry if it’s too long either, especially in the drafting phase. You can always add or trim words later.
Overall, pacing is more important than word count. In other words, if a story is interesting and keeps readers hooked, the size doesn’t matter as much. The most important thing is to focus on telling the story itself, and don’t forget to have fun along the way!
Amy E. Bryant is an award-winning writer of Children’s and YA Fantasy Adventure (coming soon!) who loves cheering on young writers.
You can follow along with Amy’s journey by signing up to her newsletter, where she shares more about books, writing, and the process of becoming a published author.
Author Website: AmyEBryant.com (Come visit me! 😊)
–
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?“
– A.A. Milne